Calvary Baptist Church Red Bank
Beauty and the Feast
January 31, 2021
Main Scripture Reference(s)
Esther 1:10-22
Esther 1:10-22
Beauty and the Feast
January 31, 2021 / Esther 1:10-22The book of Esther opens on a king who is the most powerful ruler of his day. We jump back into the middle of chapter 1 and pick up the narrative that we already discussed at length last time. Today, we will outline the passage and stop and make some practical application along the way.
I. A Lewd (10-12)
- After parading everything he owned, it seems only logical that King Xerxes would publically display his .
- The king’s heart was “merry,” which means he was very near being stoned .
- Principle #1: No good decisions are made while .
- Vashti found herself in a real dilemma: she had to refuse herself and lose her integrity or she had to refuse her husband and Persian law.
- Principle #2: There will be times when we have to sacrifice our for the sake of our .
- Will you be able to say no or do what is when it costs you everything?
II. A Livid (13-22)
- Not one person in the king’s circle of advisers tried to him.
- Principle #3: What really matters is controlling your own and your own .
- Mark 8:36; Proverbs 25:28; Proverbs 16:32
- Alcohol and anger – two powerful forces that have brought more to our homes and our society than even the statistics reveal.
- Principle #4: Respect is earned, not demanded.
- If Christian husbands were more like and less like Ahasuerus, perhaps we would find our wives more ready to our leadership.
- God shows you and me more grace than Ahasuerus showed Vashti. And instead of banishing people, Jesus took the punishment of our sins and invites us to come have a seat at his banquet table of salvation.